This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-290197, filed Sep. 25, 2000, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-238661, filed Aug. 7, 2001, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a front vehicle body construction of an automobile.
For example, according to Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication No. 57-69762, a vehicle body of an automobile in which a pedal bracket for a brake, a clutch, etc. is attached onto a back face of a dash panel has a construction such that a reinforcing plate is interposed only between the dash panel and the pedal bracket, and the strength of an attachment portion of the pedal bracket to the dash panel is enhanced by the reinforcing plate.
Also, according to Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-56459, as shown in FIG. 10, a reinforcing plate 91 is provided with an extension 94 extending to a joint portion 93 at which a dash panel 92 is joined to a front frame, and the extension 94 is joined to the dash panel 92 at the joint portion 93. In addition, a swell 95 is provided at the extension 94, and an extended pedal bracket is fixed to the swell 95 to increase the support stiffness of the pedal bracket. Also, an impact load applied to the front frame is distributed to the reinforcing plate 91 and the pedal bracket. In FIG. 10, * mark indicates a location of spot welding.
However, when an attempt is made to reinforce the dash panel 92 for a purpose other than the above-described purpose, an individual reinforcing plate is needed for each portion, so that extra manpower is required for assembling.
The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and accordingly an object thereof is to provide a front vehicle body construction which can facilitate the attachment of a reinforcing plate to a dash panel for an automobile, and can improve the shock absorbing performance and NVH performance without the increase in the number of parts and the manpower for assembling. NVH is an acronym for noise, vibration and harshness. NVH performance means characteristic items to which importance is attached when the comfortability of a vehicle is considered.
To solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a front vehicle body construction in which a reinforcing plate for a pedal bracket is provided on the cabin side of a dash panel joined to a front frame and an apron panel, wherein the reinforcing plate is provided with a first extension extending to a first joint portion at which the dash panel is joined to the front frame so as to be joined to the first joint portion and a second extension extending to a second joint portion at which the dash panel is joined to the apron panel so as to be joined to the second joint portion.
The reinforcing plate is further provided with a third extension at which an upper part of a front wheel housing in the dash panel is joined to said reinforcing plate.
The reinforcing plate is further provided with a fourth extension at which the periphery of a penetration portion for a clutch operating member in the dash panel is joined to said reinforcing plate.
The reinforcing plate is further provided with a fifth extension at which the periphery of a shift cable penetration portion in the dash panel is joined to said reinforcing plate and a sixth extension at which the periphery of a heater pipe penetration portion in the dash panel is joined to said reinforcing plate.
The first to sixth extensions are configured integrally.
As described above, the reinforcing plate is provided with the first extension extending to the first joint portion at which the dash panel is joined to the front frame so as to be joined to the first joint portion and the second extension extending to the second joint portion at which the dash panel is joined to the apron panel so as to be joined to the second joint portion. Therefore, when an impact force is applied, the front frame and the apron panel can be prevented from intruding into a cabin. Also, the dash panel can be prevented from being deformed by forces transmitted from a suspension attachment portion and the apron panel at the time of light shock, and also the strength and stiffness of vehicle body can be improved.
If the reinforcing plate is further provided with the third extension at which the upper part of the front wheel housing in the dash panel is joined thereto, the dash panel and the upper part of the front wheel housing can be prevented from being deformed by forces transmitted from a front suspension and the apron panel at the time of light shock.
If the reinforcing plate is further provided with the fourth extension at which the periphery of the penetration portion for the clutch operating member in the dash panel is joined thereto, sounds transmitted from the clutch operating member such as a clutch master cylinder or a clutch cable can be suppressed, so that the product quality can be upgraded.
If the reinforcing plate is further provided with the fifth extension at which the periphery of the shift cable penetration portion in the dash panel is joined thereto and the sixth extension at which the periphery of the heater pipe penetration portion in the dash panel is joined thereto, sounds and vibrations transmitted from the shift cable and the heater pipe can be suppressed, so that the product quality can be upgraded.
If the reinforcing plate is further provided with the fourth extension at which the periphery of the penetration portion for the clutch operating member in the dash panel is joined thereto, the fifth extension at which the periphery of the shift cable penetration portion in the dash panel is joined thereto, and the sixth extension at which the periphery of the heater pipe penetration portion in the dash panel is joined thereto, and the first to sixth extensions are configured integrally, the manpower for assembling the reinforcing plate can be reduced, and the stiffness of the dash panel can be increased significantly.